This present invention relates to improved hydrocolloid/hydrophilic powder-containing wound dressings and to a three-dressing treatment regime for chronic wounds.
The use of hydrocolloids in bandages has been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,339,546 to Chen; 4,538,603 to Pawelchak et al.; 4,393,080 to Pawelchak et al.; 3,972,328 to Chen; and 4,292,972 to Pawelchak et al. Each of these patents describes the use of a hydrocolloid-containing adhesive material in the construction of wound dressings. The disclosed purpose of the hydrocolloid is to provide wet-tack to the adhesive material, thus making it suitable for adhesion to moist surfaces.
While these dressings provided an initial approach to the treatment of moist or exudative wounds, several drawbacks to their use have become apparent. In particular, during the initial stages of healing in chronic wounds, i.e. debridement, or in highly exudative acute wounds leakage of wound fluid from the edges of the dressing, e.g. strike-through, is a significant problem. This results in the breaking of the barrier increasing the chances of bacterial infection, as well as in a messy, difficult to remove adhesive exudate. Furthermore, it has been found that these previously known dressings are not ideal for use throughout the healing process since the environments created thereby do not optimize certain processes critical to repair such as debridement, granulation and protection after the wound is healed. Moreover, these dressings can have detrimental effects if left on for too long a period of time as a result of hair growing into the sticky hydrocolloid/adhesive mass. In these circumstances, removal of the dressing can be painful and result in reinjury to the newly healed wound.
It is an object of this invention to provide a series of wound dressings adapted for use in a novel three-step wound treatment regimen that overcomes these disadvantages.